Box construction



Jan, 25, 1933. B, R, L-E s 7 2,106,302

BOX CONTRUCTION Filed Feb. 7, 1956 INVENTOR hlj .ATTORNEY Patented Jan.25, 1938 1 ,1

BOX CONSTRUCTION Boyd R. Lewis, San Marino, Oaliii, assignor toFibreboard Products, Inc., San Francisco, C'alif., a corporation ofDelaware Application February '7, 1936, Serial No. 62,825

2 Claims.

My invention relates to a box of the type having slatted walls, such asused for packing fruit; and the broad object of my invention is toprovide means for sheathing the slats to protect the fruit againstinjury, prevent contamination and provide greater protection againstpilfering, and at the same time decrease the number of slats requiredfor the walls.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, .with the fore-l going, will be set forth in the followingdescription of my invention. It is to be understood that I do not limitmyself to this disclosure of species of my invention, as I may adoptvariant embodiments thereof within the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box embodying my invention, portionsof the end wall being broken away to illustrate the construction moreclearly.

Figure 2 is a plan view of one of the slatted walls, the upper layer ofthe sheathing or sleeve being broken away to show two of the insideslats; and

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional viewtaken through an end ofthe slatted wall and showing the fastening means.

In terms of broad inclusion the box construction of my inventionembodies a wall comprising a plurality of spaced slats, and a sleeve ofsheet material embracing the slats. The latter are preferably arrangedso that a slat lies along each side edge of the sleeve. Means areprovided for fastening the slats within the sleeve, and cleats arepreferably provided outside the sleeve and extending transversely acrossthe ends of the slats. The ends of the box are preferably solid woodenpieces, to which the slatted walls are nailed.

In greater detail, and referring to the drawing, my box constructioncomprises end walls 2 of solid wood, to which the other walls arenailed. The top, side and bottom walls are slatted, and each comprises aplurality of spaced wooden slats 3 enclosed by a flat open-endedenvelope or sleeve 4 of flexible sheet material, such as fibreboard.This sleeve is preferably made in one piece; the sheet being foldedalong the side edges 6 and glued along the overlapping edges 1. It willbe apparent that a sleeve so made provides a sheath which embraces orsurrounds the slats.

Two slats are positioned along the side edges 6 of the sleeve, and inthe top wall these are preferably the only slats used. In the side andbottom Walls a third or intermediate slat is preferably added forgreater strength. Slats 3 are secured Within the sleeve by suitablemeans, such as staples 8, penetrating the sleeve and slats adjacent theends of the latter.

Cleats 9 are also provided outside the sleeve and are positioned toextend transversely across the ends of the slats 3. These cleats arefastened in place by the staples 8 which pass through the sleeve andslats and penetrate the cleats. See Figure 3. Staples 8 are appliedduring the fabrication of the walls; the latter being preferablymanufactured in separate panels prior to assembling the boxes.

As shown in Figure l, the slatted walls are fastened to the end Walls 2by nails l2 driven through the cleats 9. By this arrangement the slats 3and enclosing sleeve 4 are interposed between the cleats 9 and end walls2. The sleeved walls may be spaced slightly to provide ventilat ingopenings 13 along the edges of the box. Such ventilation is desirablefor citrus fruits.

An important feature of my construction is that a smooth wall surface isprovided inside the box. This eliminates the damage occasioned by thefruit pressing against the .edges of exposed slats. The double wallconstruction also provides excellent protection against injury fromexternal means, such as objects falling against the box, or one boxshifting against another. The double Wall or cellular construction alsoprovides an improved thermal insulation.

In addition, my improved walls offer greater protection againstcontamination and pilfering. Furthermore, the sheathed walls provide asubstantially lightproof box, which is desirable in fruit packing cases.

These advantages are obtained without sacrificing the features of lightweight and. cheap-- ness which characterizes a slatted wall boxconstruction. While the presence of the fibreboard sleeves ll tend toadd slightly to the weight and cost of the box, thus is offset by thereduction in the number of wooden slats required, so that my boxis'substantially as light and cheap as the ordinary slatted crate. 45

While I have shown a box having top, side and bottom walls of myimproved slatted and sleeved construction, it is understood that thistype of wall may be used for the top wall or lid only, or for the topand bottom walls, the other walls being of ordinary construction.

It is also understood that the top wall may have more than two slats, inwhich case the lower layer of sheet material would be stapled to acenter slat as shown in Figure 3, instead of 55 2. A box wall comprisinga sheet of heavy paper folded to form a fiat sleeve with thelongitudinal edges of the sheet overlapping at one side of the sleeve,slats extending longitudinally through the sleeve, one of said slatsunderlying said overlapping edges, 2, cleat arranged outside the sleeveon the side opposite said overlapping edges and extending transverselyacross the slats to. reinforce the wall, and means for fastening thecleat, sleeve and slats together.

BOYD R. LEWIS.

